Mine cooling power recovery system

Abstract

A mine cooling power recovery system wherein a low-pressure slurry pump for charging the mud slurry produced in a mine into a pressure changeover feed chamber is arranged in parallel to a warm water charging low-pressure pump and each of outlets of the two pumps has a changeover valve so that a single power recovery system pumps up both the mud slurry and a warm water out of the mine. A slurry sedimentation tank may be provided on the ground surface.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. In a system comprising a refrigerator provided on the ground surface, a pressure changeover feed chamber and a heat load both provided in an underground mine, a cold water feed pipeline extending from the ground surface to the underground mine, a warm water feed pipeline extending from the underground mine to the ground surface, a mine cooling power recovery system including a first warm water charging pump for delivering a warm water to the refrigerator on the ground surface, a low-pressure slurry pump arranged in the underground mine in parallel to a second warm water charging pump which delivers the warm water to the pressure changeover feed pump, an outlet of the second warm water charging pump provided in the underground mine having a warm water changeover valve, an outlet of the low-pressure slurry pump provided in the underground mine having a slurry changeover valve, a discharge line of each of the changeover valves is connected to a warm water charging low-pressure pipeline for delivering the warm water to the pressure changeover feed chamber, an outlet of a high pressure pipeline for lifting the warm water out of the underground mine to the ground surface is connected to warm water feed pipe line extending to a warm water tank and to a slurry feed pipeline extending to a ore-waste heap, the warm water feed pipeline has a warm water changeover valve, and the slurry feed pipeline has a slurry changeover valve. 
     
     
       2. A mine cooling power recovery system as recited in claim 1, wherein the high-pressure pipeline for lifting the warm water out of the underground mine up to the ground surface has a fluid density variation monitoring sensor for a fluid passing through the high-pressure pipeline and means for controlling opening and shutting operations of the warm water changeover valve and slurry changeover valve in response to signals generated by the fluid density variation monitoring sensor. 
     
     
       3. A mine cooling power recovery system as recited in claim 2, wherein the fluid density change monitoring sensor includes one a densitometer, photosensor and pig sensor. 
     
     
       4. A mine cooling power recovery system as recited in claim 1, wherein each of shut-off valves and equalizing valves connected to opposite ends of the pressure changeover feed chamber has a valve opening and shutting detection sensor, and means for controlling an opening and a shutting of each of the shut-off valves and equalizing valves connected to the opposite ends of the pressure changeover feed chamber is provided. 
     
     
       5. A mine cooling power recovery system as recited in claim 4, wherein the control means includes one of a timer and a noncontact sensor. 
     
     
       6. In a system comprising a refrigerator provided on the ground surface, a pressure changeover feed chamber and a heat load both provided in an underground mine, a cold water feed pipeline extending from the surface to an underground, and a warm water feed pipeline extending from the underground mine to the ground surface, a mine cooling power recovery system characterized in that a warm water charging low-pressure pump for delivering a warm water to the refrigerator is provided on the ground surface, both a slurry pump for delivering a mud slurry to the pressure changeover feed chamber and a slurry tank are provided in the underground mine, and a mud slurry sedimentation tank is provided on the ground surface. 
     
     
       7. A mine cooling power recovery system as recited in claim 6, wherein each of shut-off valves and equalizing valves connected to opposite ends of the pressure changeover feed chamber has a valve opening and shutting detection sensor and means for controlling an opening and a shutting of each of the valves. 
     
     
       8. In a system comprising a refrigerator, a pressure changeover feed chamber and a heat load both provided below the refrigerator, a cold water feed pipeline extending from the refrigerator to the pressure changeover feed chamber and to the heat load, a warm water feed pipeline extending to the pressure changeover feed chamber and to the heat load, a mine cooling power recovery system including a first warm water charging low-pressure pump connected to the refrigerator, a low-pressure slurry pump arranged in parallel to a second warm water charging low-pressure pump which delivers a warm water to the pressure changeover chamber, an outlet of the second warm water charging low-pressure pump has a warm water changeover valve, an outlet of the low-pressure slurry pump has a mud slurry change-over valve, discharge lines of both the changeover valves are connected to a warm water charging low-pressure pump line for delivering the warm water to the pressure changeover feed chamber, an outlet of a high-pressure pipeline for lifting the warm water out of the underground mine to the ground surface is connected to a warm water feed pipeline extending to the warm water tank and to a slurry feed pipeline extending to an ore-waste heap, the warm water pipeline has a warm water tank has a warm water changeover valve, and the slurry feed pipeline has a slurry changeover valve.